Patent GB-172338-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in and relating to packing and wrapping up articles for transit and storage
IPC: B65B11/30
Filed: 1920-12-21
Abstract: 172,338. Croxford, F. C. Dec. 21, 1920. Packeting by wrapping-up. - Relates to wrapping-machines in which the article and wrapper are received by intermittently rotated drums with diametrically opposed pockets, the bases of which are formed by positively-actuated connected plungers, and consists of a construction in which the movement of a rack in one direction actuates the plungers for ejection while the movement of the rack in the other direction rotates the drums to their next position. The articles are delivered in strip or other form by a travelling band 55, Fig. 1, in front of a guideway 61 with a plunger 62 and a knife which severs. the strip. A web is fed by rollers 71, 72 to cutters 64, 65 and the article and wrapper are thrust by the plunger 62 into a pocket 8, Figs. 1 and 3, in a drum 2, forming the folds shown in Fig. 9. The drum then rotates through half a revolution, a plate 48 folding the wrapper over the exposed surface of the article, which is then thrust into a pocket 17 in a drum 3, the folds then being as shown in Fig. 11. The drum 3 then rotates and folds down the upstanding part of the wrapper against a plate 49, into the position shown in Fig. 12. The article is next thrust into a pocket 22 in a drum 4, Figs. 1 and 13, in which the ends of the wrappers are folded. The first folds are made by spring sides 54<a> which are opened and closed by inclined paths 54<b> on plungers 24, 25, forming the bases of the pockets 22, 23. The second and third folds are made by folders 51 controlled by a fixed cam-disc 52 and the final flap is folded down when the packet is ejected into a delivery trough 50. The bases of the pockets 8, 9 are formed by pockets 10, 11, Fig. 3, connected to a sliding frame upon which are arranged stops 27 adapted to be engaged by projections 28 on a rack 29. The arrangement of the pockets 17, 18 of the drum 3 is similar. The bases of the pockets 22, 23 of the drum 4 are formed by connected plungers 24, 25 operated by a cam 35, Figs. 1 and 13, which is rotated by the rack 29 and moves the plungers to the right. When an article and wrapper are thrust into the pocket 8, the parts 10, 11, 19, 20, 24, 25 are positively moved to the right, thereby ejecting the articles from one drum to another. The rack 29 on its return movement rotates the drums 2, 3, 4 by means of pinions 39, 38, 37 loosely mounted on the respective shafts 40 and each carrying a holder 41 with a pawl 42. The pawl 42 engages a ratchetwheel 43 fixed to the drum and having two diametrically-opposed engaging faces, so that each retraction of the rack 29 rotates the drums through half a revolution. The drums are registered in correct alignment by means of spring-urged bolts 47 engaging in recesses in a disc 46. In a modification, the drum 2 has two pairs of pockets at right-angles, and is rotated through a right-angle at each step, and the unfolded portions of each wrapper are folded down by the ends of a pocket which is moving to registering position. The number of drums may be varied. The sides of the pockets may be yielding. The wrapper and article feed may be manual.